Join Rhea Vedro, a metalsmith and the Gardner’s Director of Community Engagement for an evening of mindful​ making. The art of making illuminated manuscripts was often an act of devotion through repeated and dedicated actions. Can an object retain the intentions and energies of the maker? Spend time in the galleries and then make ​your own metal bookmark​ in the ​S​tudio.

​Talismans, amulets, shrines, and charms that have been created to wear, carry, or look upon. These objects convey a specific power, intend to protect against superstition, or commemorate. This exhibition is inspired by a quote from the only surviving poem by

Lucretius (c. 99 – c. 55 BCE) – On the Nature of Things.
“There are no angels, demons, or ghosts. Immaterial spirits of any kind do not exist….Forget them.” Yet it seems that despite our best efforts, we can’t.

All cultures throughout the ages have taken abstract concepts like gods, demons, imps, and spirits and translated them into material items that are often housed in esteemed spaces. Shrines that celebrate, amulets that protect, and totems that commemorate these enduring theologies and phenomenons. Perhaps the most resilient form of piety, the belief that objects imbued with spiritual reverence might protect or reward the owner withstands the test of time, often despite our better judgment.

Featured panelist at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens International SymposiumCONTEMPORARY ART IN HISTORIC CONTEXTS, February 25 – 27, 2018
International symposium examining the curatorial, artistic, and interpretive processes of presenting contemporary art in historic contexts.